Director, Athletics Annual Fund

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Department: Intercollegiate Athletics

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Financial Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

To unite communities by developing champions with a mission to inspire and transform lives through the power of sports. Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) serves 500 student-athletes in 22 NCAA Division I sports. We are a proud member of the Atlantic 10 Conference with 17 Conference Championships, NCAA Championships in Women's Soccer and Men's Indoor Track, an NCAA Final Four appearance with Men's Basketball, and over 30 individual National Champions. We are student-focused, education-centered, and committed to providing transformational experiences for our student-athletes and staff. Our five priorities are Student-Athlete Experience, Competition, Resources, Storytelling & Engagement, and Championship Culture.

About the Position:

Reporting to the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development, the Director, Athletics Annual Fund provides strategic leadership and direction for George Mason Athletics' comprehensive annual giving program and the Patriot Club. The Director leads the development and implementation of strategies designed to acquire new donors, retain and upgrade current supporters, re-engage lapsed donors, increase unrestricted and sport-specific giving, and strengthen the pipeline of prospective major-gift donors. This position establishes the annual fund's fiscal-year plan, revenue and participation goals, performance metrics, donor segmentation strategies, communications and solicitation calendar, benefits structure, stewardship strategy, and overall donor experience. The Director provides leadership to the annual fund team, maintains a portfolio of leadership annual giving prospects, leads Athletics parent and family giving strategy, and collaborates with Athletics Major Gifts, Central Advancement, coaches, volunteers, and campus partners to align fundraising priorities and facilitate the movement of qualified prospects through the development pipeline.

Responsibilities:

Leadership, Strategy, and Management of the Athletics Annual Fund and Patriot Club:

• Leads the overall strategy, management, and growth of the Athletics Annual Fund and Patriot Club;
• Creates and implements a comprehensive fiscal-year plan to identify, acquire, cultivate, solicit, renew, upgrade, engage, and steward Athletics donors;
• Establishes annual revenue, participation, acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrade, and donor-engagement goals and monitors progress throughout the fiscal year;
• Develops short- and long-term strategies to increase unrestricted support for Athletics and restricted support for individual sport programs and Athletics priorities;
• Directs the annual fundraising, marketing, communications, solicitation, donor-engagement, and stewardship strategy for the Patriot Club;
• Develops and manages an annual communications and solicitation calendar coordinating appeals, renewals, donor benefits, stewardship, sport-specific outreach, and special initiatives;
• Leads segmented fundraising and engagement strategies for former student-athletes, alumni, season-ticket holders, young alumni, volunteers, giving society members, fans, and other Athletics constituencies;
• Directs the strategy and implementation of Patriot Club membership benefits, priority seating and parking programs, priority points, basketball season-ticket giving requirements, and other donor benefits;
• Leads Athletics major giving society acquisition, renewal, upgrade, recognition, engagement, and stewardship strategies;
• Oversees sport-specific giving initiatives, former student-athlete campaigns, affinity-based fundraising, crowdfunding campaigns, game-day giving opportunities, and targeted special projects;
• Leads the overall Patriot Club donor experience and establishes service standards for questions related to gifts, pledges, pledge balances, priority points, seating, parking, benefits, and membership;
• Handles complex or sensitive donor-service matters and ensures accurate, timely coordination with Athletics Ticketing, Central Advancement, and other appropriate partners;
• Provides leadership, direction, assignments, and performance expectations to annual fund staff, interns, and volunteers;
• Collaborates with Athletics Communications, Marketing, Ticketing, coaches, and Central Advancement to ensure annual fund messaging and activities are coordinated and aligned with Athletics and University priorities;
• Evaluates annual fund performance and adjusts strategies based on donor behavior, fundraising results, program data, institutional priorities, and industry best practices;
• Provides regular reports and recommendations to Athletics Development leadership regarding program performance, donor trends, emerging opportunities, and areas requiring additional focus; and
• Ensures compliance with University policies and applicable NCAA and Atlantic 10 rules and regulations.

Leadership Annual Giving Portfolio and Major-Gift Pipeline:

• Maintains a strategic portfolio of approximately 30-50 leadership annual giving prospects and donors, with an emphasis on individuals capable of making annual gifts of $5,000 or more;
• Develops and implements individualized strategies for the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, renewal, upgrade, and stewardship of assigned prospects;
• Personally solicits leadership annual gifts in support of the Patriot Club, unrestricted Athletics priorities, sport-specific funds, and designated special initiatives;
• Conducts meaningful donor visits and interactions designed to assess philanthropic capacity, inclination, interests, and readiness for increased engagement;
• Develops a robust pipeline of annual donors capable of progressing toward major-gift consideration and meets established visit, solicitation, revenue, and pipeline goals;
• Identifies and refers prospective major-gift donors to the appropriate Athletics Major Gifts officer;
• Partners with Athletics Major Gifts officers to coordinate prospect discovery, outreach, cultivation strategies, and seamless donor handoffs;
• Coordinates donor strategies with Development officers assigned to regions, colleges, schools, and other campus units when appropriate;
• Facilitates appropriate interaction between donors and prospective donors and Mason Athletics coaches, student-athletes, administrators, and University leadership;
• Maintains timely and accurate documentation of donor activity, strategies, solicitations, opportunities, and relevant information in the University's advancement database; and
• Displays good judgment and confidentiality when handling donor information, prospect strategies, financial information, and sensitive constituent matters.

Central Advancement, Campus Partnerships, and Volunteer Engagement:

• Coordinates and collaborates closely with Athletics Major Gifts officers, Central Advancement Development officers, regional fundraisers, colleges, schools, and other campus units;
• Facilitates communication and coordination when donors have multiple University interests or relationships;
• Serves as the primary Athletics liaison to Central Advancement's Annual Giving team;
• Works closely with Alumni Relations, Parents and Family Philanthropy, Donor Relations, Communications, Prospect Management, Systems, Operations, Gifts and Records, Planned Giving, and University Priorities;
• Participates in regular meetings with Athletics Development and Central Advancement staff to coordinate strategies, review results, and discuss donor opportunities;
• Develops collaborative fundraising and engagement strategies that align Athletics priorities with broader University initiatives;
• Establishes and works with volunteer committees, giving society leaders, former student-athlete groups, and other volunteer constituencies when appropriate;
• Provides volunteers with clear expectations, engagement opportunities, fundraising priorities, and resources necessary to support annual fund goals;
• Collaborates with coaches and Athletics administrators to facilitate appropriate donor engagement and support sport-specific fundraising priorities; and
• Represents the Patriot Club and the Athletics Development program at donor, alumni, community, Athletics, and University events.

Parent and Family Giving Strategy:

• Leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive parent and family giving strategy for Mason Athletics;
• Establishes annual goals for parent participation, donor acquisition, retention, upgrades, leadership annual giving, and major-gift pipeline development;
• Coordinates parent-giving strategies with coaches, sport administrators, Athletics Development staff, and Central Advancement's Parents and Family Philanthropy team;
• Develops segmented strategies for current parents, incoming families, former parents, and families with significant philanthropic capacity;
• Identifies appropriate giving opportunities including unrestricted Athletics support, sport-specific funds, special projects, and leadership annual giving initiatives;
• Coordinates the identification, qualification, assignment, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of parent prospects;
• Assigns appropriate parent prospects to the Assistant Director, Athletics Major Gifts officers, or other development colleagues based on capacity, affinity, and philanthropic interests;
• Leads cultivation and solicitation strategies for high-capacity parents and families, and develops opportunities for meaningful interaction with coaches, student-athletes, Athletics administrators, and University leadership; and
• Reviews parent-giving results and adjusts strategies to increase engagement and philanthropic participation.

Other Duties as Assigned:

• Performs other duties as required or assigned by the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development that are reasonably within the scope of the position;
• Supports additional Athletics development, donor engagement, fundraising, and departmental priorities as directed;
• Represents Mason Athletics at meetings, events, and other activities as requested; and
• Handles special projects and emerging priorities requiring director-level leadership, discretion, and collaboration.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in related field with considerable applicable experience in athletics, development, annual giving, sales, managing alumni/constituent affairs, special events, and/or volunteer management; or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been achieved;
• Experience using a CRM software system, Microsoft Office and other content creation platforms (i.e., Adobe Photoshop, Canva, ThankView, etc.);
• Strong knowledge of the role Annual Giving plays in development of the major gifts pipeline;
• Demonstrated success in staff leadership, with demonstrated ability to lead and motivate colleagues, staff and volunteers;
• Demonstrated strategic approach to fundraising skills;
• Highly organized and strong work ethic skills;
• Skilled in developing deep, productive relationships with a diverse group of individuals;
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task and meet deadlines with a high degree of initiative, creativity, energy, and accountability;
• Excellent ability to communicate orally and in writing;
• Demonstrated ability and track record of soliciting and acquiring annual commitments up to and including $25,000 gifts;
• Ability to travel and attend evening and weekend activities as needed; and
• Must currently possess an appropriate, active, valid motor vehicle operator's license that meets all of GMU's requirements for operating state vehicles and equipment under Mason's Vehicle Use Policy 1411 https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/vehicle-use/. The Office of Risk Management reserves the right to review the driver's licenses and Motor Vehicle Reports (MVRs) of all candidates selected with employment contingent upon a favorable review.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters degree in related field;
• Specific experience leading and managing an annual giving program;
• Strong knowledge and grasp of athletics fundraising at the University level;
• Demonstrated competence using Salesforce as a donor database;
• Demonstrated ability to manage an annual giving program during a major gifts campaign and supervising a diverse team;
• Exceptional leadership qualities demonstrating the ability to motivate and inspire staff to achieve their full potential; and
• Driven by a passion and knowledge for George Mason Athletics.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Director, Athletics Annual Fund at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a resume for review.

Posting Open Date: August 18, 2026

For Full Consideration, Apply by: September 1, 2026

Open Until Filled: Yes